Farmingdale, New York
—
After a weekend of absolute bedlam at Bethpage, the dust is settling on an extraordinary Ryder Cup competition.
The headline is that Europe pulled off a stunning victory on foreign soil, a win that was at times breathtaking and breathless, exhilarating and excruciating in equal measure.
The American team was in danger of complete humiliation, but on Sunday the US golfers managed to recover and almost pulled off what would have been arguably the greatest comeback in sports.
There was so much to celebrate and yet, once all the champagne spray has dried, there is still a bitter taste in the mouth.
Many of the European players were subjected to dreadful abuse from the galleries, unprintable vulgarities and some deeply personal insults. Rory McIlroy was the lightning rod for the invective, and so was his wife.
“I was out there for two days with Erica McIlroy, and the amount of abuse that she received was astonishing,” said Irishman Shane Lowry. “And the way she was out there supporting her husband and supporting her team was unbelievable.”
The situation around McIlroy’s group on Saturday afternoon became so intense that police officers with dogs were brought onto the course for protection.
“I wish they had let the dogs off the leashes,” quipped McIlroy, who admitted that he engaged with the fans on the occasions when it all became too much.
A viral video from the 18th hole on Saturday morning shows McIlroy turning to the fans and telling them to “Shut the f**k up!” He then composed himself and dispatched his approach to within two feet of the pin. It was “very f**king satisfying,” he joked.
McIlroy made light of it in his team’s moment of glory, but he won’t gloss over the abuse that he and his wife were subjected to; a beer was even thrown at her in the Saturday four-balls.
“The police out there and the amount of security presence was insane,” he said. “Nothing was going to happen, there wasn’t going to be a physical altercation, but there was a lot of language that was unacceptable and abusive.”
McIlroy was at pains to state that it was only a minority of the fans who were out of line, but their behavior certainly left a mark on what was otherwise a wonderful sporting occasion.
“It should be off-limits,” he said, “But obviously it wasn’t this week. Erica is fine. She’s a very, very strong woman. You know, she handled everything this week with class and poise and dignity like she always has. I love her.”
Ryder Cups are known to be rowdy, and the home team counts on the support of their fans. Questions will now be asked about whether the host team played a role in fomenting the aggression.
On the eve of the tournament, Collin Morikawa called for “chaos” and the event’s master of ceremonies, Heather McMahan, stepped down on Sunday after she had led the fans in a chant of “f**k you Rory” with a live microphone.
Some American players tried to intervene on the Europeans’ behalf. Justin Thomas found himself in the unique position of trying to amp up the crowd in support of his team, while also trying to shush them so that his opponents could have a fair chance of playing.
“I don’t think anyone’s safety was necessarily in danger,” Thomas said, adding, “Words hurt, too. There was definitely some nasty things said. Cam (Young) and I said to Shane and Rory yesterday that we felt sorry for them. It was unfortunate. Cam and I just wished that we gave them something to cheer for instead of people to cheer against.”
McIlroy remarked that he thought it was strange that the home fans seemed more inclined to jeer an opponent than support one of their own.
“I didn’t hear a lot of shouts for Scottie (Scheffler) today, but I heard a lot of shouts against me. It’s like, support your players,” he said.
In two years’ time, Team Europe will be defending its trophy and looking to win a third in a row at Adare Manor in Ireland. McIlroy says the players will be making it clear to their fans that similar abuse will not be tolerated.
“I don’t think we should ever accept that in golf. I think golf should be held to a higher standard than what was seen out there this week,” McIlroy said. “Golf has the ability to unite people. Golf teaches you very good life lessons. It teaches you etiquette. It teaches you how to play by the rules. It teaches you how to respect people.”
Meanwhile, he and his team leave New York knowing that they had the last laugh, that they rose above the fray to win the day. They absorbed all of the insults and turned them into rocket fuel for their own incredible performance.
“We’re going to have a good time celebrating tonight,” McIlroy promised.
